Pikaia Lodge in Galapagos

As a travel planner, there are a few responses that are just music to my ears when I’m talking to a traveler about what they want to do, where they want to go.

“So what you are guys thinking? Do you already have ideas or are you looking for help deciding where to look first?”

“We’re not sure… Go ahead and surprise us, we want to be wowed.”

Nice. I can do that.

Our most recent search after this prompt ended at this amazing, luxurious, yet adventure-ready sanctuary – The Pikaia Lodge in The Galapagos Islands.

The hotel coins itself a “Luxury Eco Adventure,” which I couldn’t have phrased better myself.
You do sort of need to be up for adventure to land yourself in The Galapagos Islands. If you’re not, you’re going to miss out on some of mother nature’s most impressive work!

The lodge’s accommodations are unique, modern and sleek, and the packaged price includes almost everything (except alcohol) – fabulous gourmet meals, guided land and marine exploration programs, sporting equipment and snorkeling, airport transfer, and use of their luxury yacht.

They even have their own private Tortoise Reserve on the property!

(If you really want to maximize your chances of mingling with tortoise, go during the cooler sub-tropical “garua” dry season)

Ok drum roll for the best part…

Now entering the Pool Suite!

With floor to ceiling panoramic windows that open to a view of the Galapagos National Park savanna and volcanic cones, what’s not to love? Sometimes the privacy at places like this ends up being disappointing, but not here! Fences between suites give you a completely private experience, even on your outside pool deck.

I feel like a “less-talking-more-pictures” policy is in order at this time, so let’s explore:

Aaaaand time for some food at the Evolution Restaurant – (this is the internet, we’ll have dessert first)

Now that you’ve eaten, your virtual tour wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the spa. How’s this for a view during your massage?

To get to Picaia, you have to fly into Baltra Galapagos Airport. (There is another airport in the Galapagos, San Cristobal, but nobody from Picaia will be there to pick you up!)

There are no direct international flights into the Galapagos, so from the US, you’ll fly out of New York, Miami, Houston, or Atlanta into one of Ecuador’s mainland airports, Guayaquil or Quito. Since Quito is 9,200 feet up in the Andes Mountains, Guayaquil is a safer bet. Sometimes Quito has to close for visibility problems, and some people have trouble adjusting to the altitude.

Altitude sickness – not how I want to start my trip.

I usually fly out of PHL, so here’s what my route would look like:

If your bucket list isn’t out yet, go get it, get a pen, and start recruiting whoever you want to bring with you!